Dubai Municipality’s Waste Management Department is gearing up for the 24th Clean Up The World campaign, which is being launched this year on 19th November under the theme, "Our Place, Our Planet, Our Responsibility," with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, and wide participation from the local community.

Talib Julfar, Assistant Director-General of Dubai Municipality for Environment and Public Health Services, said that the 'Clean Up The World' campaign is one of the largest voluntary campaigns, not only in the UAE but also in the region. The event is participated in by thousands of volunteers, and their number increases year on year, reflecting the success of this global environmental initiative and the interest of organisations and individuals to leave a sustainable environmental footprint in Dubai.

"This year, we expect to have the participation of more than 11,000 students and 400 government and private establishments, in line with the #Year of Giving. This participation highlights the social role of the various parties and leaves a real green mark on society in general and the Emirate of Dubai in particular," said Julfar.

He added that all necessary requirements will be provided to conduct clean-up operations on the ground to ensure that the volunteer work is executed to the fullest.

"Registration for the event is open on the Dubai Municipality website until Saturday, 11th November, to enable easy registration for all those who wish to participate in this large volunteer event, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m," said Julfar.

Abdulmajeed Sifai, Director of the Waste Management Department and leader of the campaign, said, "This year's campaign will include a number of awareness initiatives and programmes aimed at spreading the culture of volunteering, waste sorting and reducing, and inviting people to contribute to waste recycling programmes, which will help achieve the strategy of the municipality to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills."

"We will also organise an activity called the "Giant Waste Bag for Collecting Recyclable Materials". A special competition will be organised for educational institutions to collect recyclable materials to encourage our children to adopt a culture of waste sorting," he said.

"In addition to that we will also organise the "Environmental Awareness Oasis" in Zabeel Park, which will include sessions like recycling workshops, production of art materials from agricultural waste, as well as competitions and awareness sessions for visitors to the park," said Sifai.

He added that in order to encourage motorists not to throw waste on the road, another initiative will be organised to distribute garbage bags to drivers by Dubai Municipality volunteers and cleaners.

"There will be an awareness programme for domestic workers in cooperation with the companies supporting "My City, My Environment" project, and the winners will be given prizes," said Sifai.

"For the government sector, a competition will be organised to collect recyclable materials and the winning organisation will be honoured," said Sifai.

"The "Recover the Value of your Waste" initiative will also be culminating during the campaign. This initiative aims to spread the culture of waste sorting from the source; at home, at work or study, to raise sustainable environmental awareness and behaviour," he said.

"Also during the event, a special initiative called, "Pamper Your Dog, Keep Your City Clean" will be implemented to advise owners of pet dogs on how to comply with the city's hygiene law," said Sifai.